Harry Potter and the Death Eater Drumhead Trials
by Crazy Chick's Crazy Friend
Summary: Following the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry is suffering from survivor’s guilt and is determined to do his part in putting the castle back together. But a letter from the new Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, takes him back to the Ministry.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Please, Review

Following the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry is suffering from survivor's guilt and is determined to do his part in putting the castle back together. But a letter from the new Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, takes him back to the Ministry. There he finds out that he is to participate in the Death Eater Trials. Harry, Ron and Hermione are key witnesses will put away all the Death Eaters for a very long time. But disturbingly Harry learns that the Wizengamot, backed by the Ministry, has something else in mind for the Malfoy's. They want to make an example of the Malfoy's to warn other wizards what happens when personal discontent goes too far. Now Harry must decide to help a dark wizard family that almost helped bring about the destruction of the wizarding world he knew or let them face a drumhead trial more intent on making a statement than seeking truth.

Harry Potter and The Death Eater Drumhead Trials  
Chapter one  
The Pieces

They left the Headmaster's office and carefully picked their way around the debris and ruin to get to Gryffindor Tower. It wasn't easy. Since the moving staircase was destroyed they had to use secondary staircases to get to the fourth floor. But they made it, bid each other goodnight and headed off to their dorms. Inside their room, Harry found a tray of sandwiches and a pitcher of pumpkin juice on his bedside table. He smiled at Ron, who smiled back, and approached the tray. His stomach grumbled loudly. A thought occurred to Harry and he stopped suddenly. "Kreacher!" Harry called loudly.

Ron, already working on the nearest sandwich, stopped too. "What? What's the matter?"

A sudden pop filled the quiet room and Kreacher bowed low before Harry. "Yes, Master Harry?" Kreacher was now wearing his Hogwarts Tea Towel Uniform with Regulus's locket tucked safely away. The uniform was spotless and crisply ironed. He looked fresh and ready for the day ahead as though the last eight hours were a figment of imagination.

"Kreacher, please bring Hermione something to eat, she's probably hungry too." It didn't occur to Harry how hungry he was until food was actually before him. His stomach grumbled loudly again and he began eating hungrily.

"Kreacher already has done that, Master Harry." He said as he poured two glasses of pumpkin juice. He gave one to Harry and then one to Ron who continued to eat.

This surprised Harry. Was it common for house elves to anticipate the needs and considerations of their masters? Harry wasn't sure. "You did?"

"Of course, Master Harry. All Hogwarts house elves are preparing breakfast for students and teachers."

"Oh," Harry said. He assumed everyone would be just as tired as he was as they were up all night as well. Evidently this was not the case. Harry chewed on his sandwich and felt exhaustion sweep over him. His whole body ached furiously. His arms suddenly felt too heavy to lift. His feet, too weak to stand on.

"Kreacher will let Professor McGonagall know that you and your friends are here in Gryffindor Tower, will that be all, Master Harry?" Harry looked at the house elf and wondered if Kreacher could read his thoughts.

"Ah, right, Kreacher, thank you." Kreacher bowed low again and left with a pop. Ron grabbed another sandwich and they ate together in silence.

"What are you going to do now?" Ron said after a few minutes of contemplating the subject himself.

"I don't know." Harry said and he really didn't. His plans didn't go any further than defeating Voldemort. The last seven years of his life seemed to culminate to that point. What was he going to do now? "Finish school, I guess. What about you?"

"Yeah, Mum, will want me to finish school too. After that, who knows?" Ron began unlacing his trainers and Harry followed. Exhaustion was hitting him hard now and he felt his eyes burn unwilling to stay open any longer. He couldn't think straight anymore. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Harry relived the Battle of Hogwarts in his dreams now. Only this time they suffered unthinkable defeat. Voldemort and his Death Eaters seemed invincible. Nothing Harry did had any effect on them what so ever. And they attacked with out mercy. Harry watched helplessly as his friends and teachers and other defenders of Hogwarts were tortured in unspeakable horrific ways until they begged for death. Then Voldemort rounded him and Harry suddenly found himself wandless. He panicked as he frantically searched for his wand. He looked away only for a second but it was too late, Voldemort had struck.

Sweat poured down his face as Harry jolted awake. He didn't know where he was. He didn't know where Voldemort was but he was sure he was close. His heart seemed to want to explode out of his chest. Harry looked around and realized he was in his bed in Gryffindor Tower. The room was very dim, almost dark. Ron was snoring peacefully in his own bed and there was no sign of Voldemort anywhere. Then it suddenly came back to him and he relaxed. Taking a few breaths, he reached for his glasses and put them on. His heart was slowing down now as he sat on the edge of his bed feeling around for his trainers. He put them on and headed out the door. Harry noticed on his way out that sometime during the morning Neville and Seamus had come in and were now sleeping. He wondered how many others were still here. Closing the door quietly behind him, he made his way downstairs to the common room and found it empty. Harry needed to hear the latest news but so far there was no one to give him any.

Harry stepped out from the portrait hole. He didn't see the Fat Lady sleeping in her portrait against the tree within her painting. Still, he closed it quietly not wanting to disturb the stillness of the castle. The castle stood dim and strangely cold. He shivered, but wasn't sure if it was from the cold or the shock. There was ruin everywhere. His stomach contracted a bit and Guilt, who was now his constant companion, hung over his shoulder making sure Harry saw everything. The moving staircase, although not moving, was now repaired to where it was usable to get to Gryffindor Tower. As he carefully descended the stairs, he saw sections of the castle that were torn apart by the giants. Bits of the night sky were visible from within. When he reached the bottom he was greeted by Sir Nicholas who was stationed at the entrance doors.

"Hello, Sir Nicholas, What are you doing here?" Harry asked. The ghost looked unruffled as he drifted to Harry.

"Harry! Good to see you!" A smile spread over the ghost's face as Harry approached him. "Professor McGonagall asked me and the other house ghosts to keep watch around the castle for the night.' He explained. "There have been owls and visitors all day as you can imagine."

"Where is Professor McGonagall?" Harry wanted some news.

"She's resting now. Poor woman was up all day. If you want, Professor Flitwick is in the Great Hall."

"Thanks, Nick" Harry said as he turned to leave.

Professor Flitwick heard his footsteps as Harry walked in. He was at the Ravenclaw House table at the end closest to the door. Just further down the table were trays of food for anyone wishing to eat.

"Harry! Come in, Come in. Eat something." Professor Flitwick said gesturing to the trays. Harry, still hungry, helped himself, digging into the nearby roast.

"Thanks, Professor." He said pouring a glass of pumpkin juice.

At the table where the Charms Teacher stood was parchment in piles everywhere. Although dressed in fresh robes, he still looked tired. The little teacher stood on the bench to get a clear view of the parchment he was sorting through.

"What are these?" Harry asked sipping his juice. He saw letters with Ministry seals on some of them and others he didn't recognize.

"Developments from the Ministry, some are letters offering help to repair the castle." He pulled out two pieces of parchment. "This one from Beauxbaton Academy and this one," he said indicating the other one. "This one's from Durmstrang, each offering to lend us their caretakers to help repair and fortify the castle again." Harry was unsettled by all the damage done to the castle. It seemed all that was holding it up was the magic surrounding it. And even though he knew it wasn't his fault, that no one would blame him and that something like this was bound to happen anyway, he felt the great weight of guilt, like he personally pulled apart the castle brick by brick. He was thankful, at least, that the talk about repairing the castle was in positive terms and that there were so many people willing to help.

"So," Harry started wanting to change the subject. "What's happening now?"

"Right now everyone is sleeping. The house ghosts are out roaming the castle and the grounds for anyone we might have missed and keeping watch for anything approaching the castle." Professor Flitwick went back to organizing his parchment.

"You mean there are still people out there?" Harry said surprised.

"Harry, it's very dangerous out there. The house ghosts along with the Centaurs are combing the forest, if anyone is there, we'll find them." He pulled a piece of parchment from the pile. "I got a letter from the Minister himself about you."

This caught Harry by surprise. What did Kingsley want from him? "What is it?" Harry said putting his fork down and drawing closer to get a better look.

"The Minister wants your testimony for the Death Eater Trials. He didn't go into details but he will be talking to you about participating." Death Eater Trials, thought Harry. Made sense, most of the Order of the Phoenix will likely to be used to give testimony against the Death Eaters. What Harry knew will put most of them away for a long time. He thought about the Malfoys, what they were reduced to and wondered briefly what will happen to them.

"What's going to happen next?" Harry asked putting more food on his plate. After weeks of near starvation, he was felt like he was making up for lost calories.

"Professor McGonagall will be addressing the whole school in the morning after breakfast." He sifted through the parchment again. "Here are her notes." He put on his glasses and began to read. "Mr. Filch has surveyed the damage inside and outside the castle and has given a first things first list. She'll assigned cleaning crews for that. St. Mungo's and Madam Pomfrey will be releasing students starting tomorrow."

"St. Mungo's?"

"A team of Emergency Healers were dispatched earlier today from St Mungo's to assist Madam Pomfrey with the dead and injured." Explained Flitwick.

"Professor Flitwick," Sir Nicholas was suddenly there at the table. Neither Harry nor Flitwick has noticed him coming. "They're on their way here now."

"Who?" Harry asked.

"The search party." answered Nicholas. Flitwick had set his parchment aside and climbed off the bench.

"Search Party? Search Party for who?" asked Harry, getting up too.

"Professor Snape." Professor Flitwick and Nicholas answered together and hurried out the Great Hall. Harry followed.

Professor Flitwick opened the entry doors by magic and the three of them stood in the doorway listening for signs of the coming search party. It wasn't long before Hagrid could be heard in the distance. Harry strained to see something but it was a very dark night now and he was unable to see them until they were almost upon them. Professor Snape was brought in draped in a black cloth. Hagrid carried him. Fang was with him barking loudly at Harry demanding attention. There were two other wizards Harry didn't recognize with Hagrid. Professor Flitwick led them all down to the infirmary where they were greeted by the healer in charge.

"Another one?" The Healer asked leading them to an empty examining table.

"Yes, I'm afraid, this is Professor Snape." Flitwick said

Hagrid gently placed Snape on the table and the Healer named Parsons pulled the black cloth revealing Snape's face. It was bloodless and Harry could tell rigor mortis was settling in. His eyes were closed now and all the blood was cleared away.

"Looks like he was bit by something nasty. Does anyone know how he died?" Parsons asked. All eyes turned to Harry.

"He was bit by Voldemort's snake." Harry said and there were audible gasps from the wizards present.

"I remember Arthur Weasley being bit by that snake. Terrible. Terrible." Parsons said shaking his head as he covered Snape back up. "Well, I'll take care of him. Does he have any relatives that we should contact?"

Professor Flitwick who was standing on a near by chair replied, "His employment records should be in the Headmaster's office. I'll let Professor McGonagall know you'll be needing to speak to her."

"That should be it then, if you'll leave me to my work now." As they were all politely dismissed by Parsons, Harry turned to leave, he caught Hagrid's eye.

"Blimey, Harry, I figured you'd be sleeping still." Hagrid said softly as they were leaving the infirmary. He was limping slightly. There were cuts and gashes on his arms and face and bruises everywhere. But he didn't seem to notice.

"Can't sleep." Harry mumbled. Hagrid looked down sideways at Harry. And Harry knew that Hagrid understood. When they reached the Entrance Hall, Professor Flitwick returned to the Great Hall and the other wizards bade them good night giving them privacy.

"I'm so proud of ya, Harry." Hagrid said facing Harry and placing a large hand on his shoulder.

"Don't say that!" Harry said harsher than he meant. But Hagrid didn't seem to mind. He looked down at Harry and sighed. Harry didn't feel proud. He wanted to feel happy, but he wasn't happy. He wanted to feel like he deserved all the praise he was getting, but he didn't.

"It's ok Harry. You're still tired, a little in shock, we all are. It'll pass, it will. You'll see. When the castle is put back to rights and things return to normal, you'll feel better."

Harry wished he shared Hagrid's optimism. But at the moment things looked too overwhelming. At the moment he wished he could fast forward into the future to that point where everything was ok. Admittedly, he was tired still. And he knew he was moody because he was tired. Maybe Hagrid was right, he decided. He knew Professor McGonagall was not about to leave the castle in this state too long. There was loads of work to do and a new term to prepare for. Harry took a lot of comfort in this and despite being tired, he felt better.

"Best be goin' back to bed now, Harry. There's a lot to do tomorrow and Professor McGonagall will be wanting to start early." Hagrid said.

"I'll see you at breakfast Hagrid, thanks." Harry said turned to climb back up the stairs.

When he reached the Gryffindor common room, his thoughts turned to a different subject. He thought about Professor Snape. Harry sat hugging his knees on the sofa in front of the fireplace, watching the flames dance between the logs. Little things were starting to make sense. All this time Harry thought Snape hated his father because James was everything Snape was not. Perhaps in part, but mainly he was jealous of his father's interest in his mother. Harry wondered how it didn't occur to him before. All the signs were there, but he didn't see it. _You'd never believe it_, he thought to himself, _never in a million years_. It was amazing enough to consider that they were even friends. Best friends. It was even more incredible to believe that Snape was secretly in love with her. Did she know? Harry thought. Probably, he concluded. He had to believe that his mother was not a mindless idiot. Still, it couldn't have been easy being friends. Gryffindors and Slytherins were traditionally adversaries. He knew his mother had endured her share of ridicule and questions. It wasn't hard to imagine Snape going through it too. But it didn't last. The Levicorpus incident put things in perspective and his mother had broken their friendship. Did she regret it? Did she miss their friendship? Harry didn't know. Then his mother began dating his father. Still Snape loved her. They had chosen different sides to a growing war, still he loved her. She and his hated rival married and started a family, still he loved her. She died, still he loved her. Harry wondered if Snape had blamed his Dad for their deaths. Snape had always said his Dad was reckless and arrogant. Was he being reckless and arrogant then? Harry wasn't sure. Remus said that his father would have considered it the height of dishonor to mistrust a friend. Harry couldn't believe that Wormtail was that good of an actor. Maybe his father just plain ignored signals and gut feelings, or worse, other people's doubts. Did he know it was Wormtail in the end? Or did he go on foolishly believing that his closest friends were loyal to him? And through only the most horrific forms of torture would ever make any one of them betray him. Harry hoped not. He had to admit that his father, although a very good man, was reckless and arrogant and a bit naïve.

Harry wiped away a tear that had escaped and rolled down his face. Sitting alone in the dark, he allowed himself to grieve his parent's deaths. They've been gone a long time but he had never mourned them. It seemed right to do it now, now that he knew more about how they died. Now that it was finally over. It was an achingly wonderful release to finally cry. He came really close standing with Hermione at the gravesite but something held him back. Maybe it was because of the stress he was under. Maybe he was too emotionally drained to feel anything. Or maybe because he was half starved, he didn't know. He didn't want to believe it was because of Hermione. He was grateful that she was with him that night. Finally, Harry figured, some things were just too private.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry Potter and the Death Eater Drumhead Trail  
Chapter Two  
Just the Beginnning

When Harry woke up the next morning, he found that he was the last to get up. Quickly, he dressed and left his dorm. He was greeted by several Gryffindors as he entered the common room. When he asked if anyone has seen Ron or Hermione or Ginny, he was told they had gone down to breakfast already.

He could tell by the noise coming from the Great Hall that there were already a large number of people enjoying breakfast. When he appeared in the doorway, silence fell. Then thunderous applause exploded as friends and fellow students and several teachers greeted their hero. Slightly embarrassed, he found Hermione sitting with Ron and the Weasley family. As he looked around he began to notice a lot of the people who came to Hogwarts to fight were still here. Ginny slided over making room for him to sit next to her. She looked at him and smiled and all he could do was return a smile. But as he reached for the scrambled eggs and toast he saw Mrs. Weasley watching them with a knowing look. Her soft smile told Harry that she approved of the match. She had leaned over to whisper something to Arthur, who immediately looked at them. He smiled at both of them. The whole scene made Harry's face grow hot and he shot a sideways glance at Ginny. Harry briefly wondered if Mr. and Mrs. Weasley knew about Ron and Hermione yet. It wasn't until he was almost done that he noticed George was not at breakfast.

"Where's George?" Harry asked Ginny quietly.

She sighed heavily. "He hasn't left his dorm and no one can get him to come out. Mum and Dad, even Lee, tried everything they could think of but he refused. All he said was he didn't feel up to it yet."

Harry didn't know how to tell Ginny how deeply sorry he was that Fred was gone. There didn't seem to be enough words to really express his grief none that went deep enough. Every casualty from Hedwig to Dobby to Ted Tonks stabbed at him. And he repeatedly found himself wondering, _if only… _But he found the only words he frustratingly could come up with. And they seemed so pitifully inappropriate and weak. "I'm sorry about Fred."

"Thank you." Ginny said, her head bowed staring into her lap. "Harry, I want you to know that none of us blame you. We knew what we were getting into when we showed up here to fight." She lifted her head to look at him straight in the eye. "We all knew the risks. Everybody here, knew the risks, and came anyway."

"I know. But I just feel so..." He stopped struggling for words. He couldn't articulate his feelings into words.

"I know, Harry. We all know"

Just then Professor McGonagall rose from her seat and made her way to the podium. The room hushed. "Good morning." She began. "I trust everyone's gotten a good night's rest and are ready for the days to come. What we have before us is a monumentous and unprecedented task indeed. Hogwarts has suffered a serious blow. We are looking at repairs at just about every area of the castle and grounds." Harry squirmed uneasily in his seat. He didn't need to be reminded how badly the castle was damaged, again. "There are witches and wizards coming to Hogwarts from every corner of the world. Each one with specialized skills they have graciously volunteered to lend. We have to clean up before they arrive. I want to thank every one who has volunteered to help." Thunderous applause filled the Great Hall. "There's a lot work ahead of us," she said looking directly at Harry, telling him this was for his benefit. "But nothing has been done that can't be fixed." She seemed to know Harry's secret fears and he suspected she had been talking with Hagrid. Nonetheless they were the words Harry needed to hear most. It was bad enough to be "the boy who lived" or "the chosen one". He certainly did not want to be "the boy who destroyed Hogwarts". Again applause fill the room and loud cheers from several students. Relief flooded his whole body as he took in McGonagall's speech.

" Now," McGonagall began hushing the noise. "I have a few announcements to make before I get to the clean up assignments. For those who are not staying and wish to leave, " this pertained to Hermione and Harry noticed her listening more intently. "you must be cleared by Madam Pomfrey. A signed clearance slip must be handed to me before leaving. Every student must be accounted for. Carriages will be outside the main entrance today at 3pm for anyone cleared to leave" Harry knew that Hermione would want to leave today and he hoped he would be able to say goodbye to her before she left. Professor McGongall went on about other things and Harry only half listened. Instead he thought about the Dursley's. It was Hermione that made him wonder how his own relatives were doing. He imagined them the same as always wherever they were. But what if they weren't?, Harry wondered. He made up his mind right then to send an owl. It would be what his mother would have wanted, he supposed. And although his feelings for his mother's sister and her family didn't come with happy memories or even good feelings, he didn't want to see them hurt either. Their departure from Privet Drive almost a year ago was still fresh in his head. His Uncle's indecision, His Aunt's hesitation and his Cousin's change of heart. It was almost worth going to find out if Dudley's change of heart was real or temporary. Harry played around with the idea in his head, but he concluded it would mean leaving Hogwarts for a few days. And he just couldn't do that, not now anyway. Hogwarts was his priority now. He knew he wouldn't be able to leave it until he was sure it was restored and exactly the way it was. Maybe then...

Ginny nudged him and then Harry realized everyone was getting up, ready to get with their assigned teams. Suspecting he wasn't paying attention, "You're with us Harry, come on." Ginny said hurriedly following her family out of the Great Hall. They gathered momentarily at the Entrance Doors. "Weasley's, Harry, Hermione, Neville, Luna! This way!" Shouted Mr Weasley waving at them to follow him.

"Where we going?" Harry whispered to Ron as they folllowed along. "We're apart of the team that going to help Hagrid clear the grounds." Ron said. Although glad to just be doing something, it was inside of the castle where Harry wanted to help the most. When they reached to where they were supposed to be Mr Weasley stopped and waited for the rest of them to catch up. Mr Weasley looked tired like everyone else and seemed to have aged some since last night. He seemed a bit slower than usual, a little greyer, a little older. Harry was sure that the loss of Fred was the reason.

"Alright. Hagrid has us assigned to the southwest grounds, west side of the lake to the Quiditch pitch. We will be clearing fallen trees. You may come across injured creatures from the Dark Forest, do not approach them by yourself. They are most dangerous when they are hurt, come get Mrs. Weasley or myself." Mr Weasley deliberately looked over at Harry, Ron, and Hermione and reiterated "I mean it."

The day moved easily enough. The clean up was relatively easy. Hermione left after lunch to get cleared to go home. And at 2:30pm there was a small crowd waiting for her outside the castle wanting to wish her goodbye and good luck. Harry stood in back with Ron watching her hug everyone present. One by one until all that was left was Harry and Ron. Eagerly she hugged Harry. "Good bye Harry." She said.

"Why does that sound like we're never going to see each other again?" Harry asked half teasing, half serious.

Hermione pulled away from Harry and laughed nervously. "I didn't mean it that way. But I'm not sure when I'll be back, it may be awhile. I want to spend some time with my parents. What about you?"

"I'm going to send out an owl tonight, I promise."

"Ok, good. I hope they're ok."

"I'm sure they're fine. Good Luck finding your parents. Let us know when you know something."

"I will." She turned away from Harry to face Ron who waited patiently for her. They smiled at each other and Ron pulled her into an embrace. He walked her over the awaiting carriages away from the others. Harry forced himself not to intrude on their privacy and began to talk to Neville who was close by. A few minutes later Ron was at his side and Harry turned to see Hermione sitting atop the carriage. They smiled at each other and waved good bye as the carriage, that only carried a few students, pulled away. The lively crowd moved back inside the castle. But Harry and Ron walked quietly behind them.

"I hope she finds her parents alright." Harry said to break the silence.

"Yeah, I'm sure she will." Ron answered.

"She'll be back before we know it" Harry said hoping he sounded optimistic.

"I know. I'm just going to miss her, Harry"

They returned to work near the quidditch pitch which was in need of repair, ruined by the Giants. But it was nothing compared to what was done to the Whomping Willow. It looked as though it took a beating as almost every branch was broken or damaged in some way. It was almost completely uprooted and was heavily leaning to one side. Harry took an immediate pity for it even though a few years ago it did it's best to try to kill him. It looked how he felt on the inside. If it had a voice Harry knew it would be moaning. There was no more fight in it was they were freely allowed to pick up the debrie around it. Neville examined the tree carefully and from his face Harry could tell that the out come was not good. "I'm not sure what we could do." Neville said shaking his head sadly. "Maybe Professor Sprout could.." But Neville's voice trailed off. Another casualty. There was nothing they could do for the tree. It was left to Professor Sprout to care for and try to mend.

After dinner Mr and Mrs Weasley went to see George. Professor McGonagall had been in to see him and got him to come down for lunch. Mr and Mrs Weasley took this as a good sign and left immediately. Ron and Ginny and the rest returned to the dormitory as they were not yet free to roam the castle. Harry went to the Owlery with his letter.

_Dear Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley, _it began

_I am writing you to inform you of our victory defeating Lord Voldemort which occurred almost two days ago. I am not sure if you have been contacted by either the Ministry or the Order of the Phoenix regarding your return home. Please let me know if anything has been arranged. This owl will wait for your reply._

_Harry_

He finished off his note and looked around to choose an owl. It was now that he missed Hedwig. Hedwig would know where to find the Dursley's wherever they were, Harry wasn't so sure about these owls. He was about to ask the other students in the owlery with him which one to pick when he noticed a young barn owl who was watching him intently. When he approached her immediately the owl reached for the letter. Harry smiled and petted her softly under her beak.

"Your not going to be very welcome when you get there" he said. "Best to stay out of reach. Wait for a reply anyway. It's number 4 Privet Dr in Little Whinging. Do you know where that is?" The owl squawked noisily and took off as if insulted and determined to show Harry she could do it. He watched her as she flew out of sight and briefly wondered how long it would be before she returned. He had no clue where the owl would find the Dursleys if she could find them at all. There lingered a small hope in Harry that where ever they are they were alright.


	3. Chapter 3

Harry Potter and the Death Eater Drumhead Trial  
Chapter 3  
Fred

Harry was completely surprised at breakfast to see the owl he had sent the night before had returned with parchment in her beak. The letter landed softly in front of him and he immediately snatched it up and tore it open.

_"Harry"_, it read.

_"Your Aunt, Cousin and I have not heard any news regarding our return home. You'd think that they could show some courtesy by informing us sooner instead of having us wait this long. We are at the home of Mrs. Figg who will not allow us to go anywhere until someone from your lot has made arrangements. The sooner we can get home, the bloody well better. Uncle Vernon."_

"Mrs. Figg's house?" Harry said aloud to himself.

"What's that Harry?" Asked Ron who sat next to Harry working on his breakfast.

"My letter. I sent it yesterday. Uncle Vernon wrote back saying he, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley were all staying at Mrs. Figg's house." Harry answered.

"Oh, you mean the squib from the Order." Ron blurted. Harry was glad that Hermione wasn't there to hear that. He would have gladly have another go at Voldemort than hear another one of Hermione's lectures of equal treatment all of all living creatures by wizards. "That was quick!" Ron said. "Smart owl."

"Yeah, I know. How in the world did they end up there?" Harry wondered.

"I heard from a couple of 6th year Hufflepuffs that the Malfoys left the castle sometime before breakfast yesterday morning." Ron said leaning in closer to Harry, changing the subject.

"I forgot about them." Harry said. "Wonder what the Ministry is going to do about them?"

"What'chu mean? I hope they get exactly what they have coming to them, Harry. They knew what they were doing and they only bailed out when it no longer suited them. I can't say I honestly give a damn about what happens to them." Ron said angrily and just as he was leaving Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Ginny came to sit down for breakfast.

"Good Morning, Harry." They each said one by one. Ginny turn back to watch her brother leave and she turned questioning eyes to Harry. "What's he on about?" She asked. "It's nothing." Harry said not wanting to discuss the Malfoy's in front of the Mr. Weasley.

"We're going to hold a family memorial for Fred tonight, Harry, seven o'clock sharp." Mr. Weasley said. This was not an extended invitation. He was being treated as a member of the family and Harry was genuinely pleased and honored. The Weasley's had always treated Harry as one of the family, but never as today.

"I'll be there." Harry promised.

Clean up was well under way and the castle and grounds were becoming recognizable again. When Harry walked out with Ginny and the others to the Quidditch Pitch that morning he didn't see up rooted trees and broken landscape. He saw the grounds almost as it once was. They all commented how different it looked. The only real problem they faced was the Mandrakes and other creatures running around loose. Occasionally students caught off guard were attacked and taken to the infirmary. Hannah Abbott was one of them. She was caught by some rogue Devil's Snare and rescued by Neville who was nearby. Harry and the others watched in muted awe as he fought off the Devil's Snare with skill and newly acquired confidence. Harry also carefully noted that Neville was quickly becoming the romantic figure at Hogwarts. He had caught the attention of every female watching as he carried Hannah away to safety. Terrified more than hurt he carried her to the Infirmary anyway and stayed with her until she was allowed to go back to the dormitory.

The Castle was no longer a ransacked mess. The armored knights that had fallen in battle were now back guarding their posts, made whole again. The Marble Staircase was whole and moving again. The House Hourglasses that held the house points was repaired. Only the portraits that hung along the staircase were still damaged. Many of them had moved temporarily into neighboring frames until they're repairs can be done. But despite all that had been done, there were still signs of the horrific battle that had taken place. Most were in the Great Hall. The stone and mortar in there was pock marked in various places by powerful dark spells that had missed their mark. These could not be wiped away. They will remain in there as monuments of the events that took place with the walls of the castle. Occassionaly students would stop and point out a certain mark on the wall and tell the story of how it got there. The stories were always thrilling and quite embellished but every student had at least one to tell and thrived on hearing more.

Harry learned at Breakfast from Mr. Weasley that Kingsley Shacklebolt was going to be at Hogwarts for visual inspection of the castle and grounds. To Harry's surprise he showed up at the Quidditch field earlier than he expected. "Harry Potter?" Harry and the others spun around and found Kingsley there smiling at them.

"Hello Kingsley!" Ron, Neville and Ginny greeted him warmly and a bit too informal in Percy's opinion. Harry saw the disapproval immediately.

"It's good to see you all again. How's clean up going?"

"Everything's running smoothly, Minister" Percy said before any of them could answer.

"Excellent, Excellent. Harry, can I have a word? Are you busy?"

"No, Minister. Congratulations, by the way." They walked away from the bleacher section, Percy was putting them back to work and Harry could hear them scream with laughter as Ginny shot off a hex most likely at Percy. The laughter seemed alien and made Harry realize how much he missed it, especially coming from this family so accustomed to laughter.

"Thank you, Harry, thank you. How are you?"

"Good, I suppose."

"Harry I want to say you did a fine job this past year. It couldn't have been easy for you."

"No, no it wasn't." They stopped in the clearing just outside the Quidditch Field overlooking the castle. It was a beautiful day, sunny and blue. Not too cool or too hot. It was the kind of day when he would want to spend every possible moment outside in the company of his friends. It was perfect. But Harry could not enjoy any of it. It all seemed to mock him. To make light of the sorrow that was all around him. It wasn't right that he should have a day like this when countless others couldn't or ever will again. Harry resented it deeply, that the world should go on as always despite everything that had happened. Gone were countless brave and courageous souls who fought for something larger than themselves. Harry knew there were millions of people unaware of the horrific events that had taken place here. Unaware of the sacrifice made for them. For them, life passed as usual. Harry wanted to scream at them what had happened. To let them know what they had done for them. To share in his sorrow. But he could do nothing. They would go on with their lives as usual never knowing how close they came to losing everything.

"We have at least 60 Death Eaters in Azkaban already. Other Ministry Officials, like Dolores Umbridge, who have committed crimes against Humanity, they're going to pay for their crimes. But we need help. Your testimony, Ron's and Hermione's testimonies would help enormously. Can I count on you?"

"Yes, anything." Harry replied. "Minister, my Aunt and Uncle, they're wanting to go back home."

"It's been a rather busy 48 hours, I forgot, but I'll look into it today." Kingsley stopped to look around. "It's a lot of work."

"Professor McGonagall said it can be repaired."

"It can. The landscape can be replanted, the stone and mortar repaired. But, Harry there will be scars here that can never be repaired. We lost so many good people." Harry blanched at the mention of the dead. This didn't go unnoticed by Kingsley. "And it's no use looking that way, Harry. It is no one's fault, least of all yours. It would be foolish to believe we could go through what we went through and not have any casualties. It's what war is. It's a damn shame, all of them. But it's reality."

Harry said nothing not wanting to agree with him but unable to deny the truth. So he kept focused on his surroundings.

"A good many people died in the first war." Kingsley said as he turned to Harry. "I lost my sister and father. Yes, we feel bad, it's natural. There's no right way to mourn your loved ones. Do what feels right for you. But we move on, we can't blame ourselves." He turned to Harry and looked him straight in the eye. "They wouldn't want us to anyway."

The Minister bid Harry good bye and left back toward the castle. Sometime before lunch Harry and Ron were near the edge of the Dark Forest when they heard a distinct rumbling noise coming from within. Edging slowing away from the forest as the noise came closer, they were joined by the others. Out of the forest and right before their very eyes stood Mr. Weasley's old Ford Anglia. Even more surprising were the two fugitive Death Eaters trapped inside. The noisy car came to a halt and opened its doors and threw out its captives. Seemingly glad to be released from the enchanted car, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley gathered them up and took them back to the castle. Since it was close to lunch time anyway they all followed along. When Harry was done with lunch and about to go back outside with the others, Professor McGonagall found him and pulled him aside. "I'm afraid the Minister can't spare anyone to escort your Aunt and Uncle back home and requests your help to do this for him."

"But Professor, I can't, I mean I..." Professor McGonagall stopped Harry in midsentence.

"I know about the memorial service for Fred Weasley. You may leave following the service. They will be expecting you late anyway."

"Late?" Harry asked now cautiously. "Why late?"

"We enchanted the house to cover the damage done to it by Death Eaters searching for you while you were in hiding."

This came as a complete shock to Harry. He was almost afraid to ask "How bad is it?"

"Mrs. Figg notified the Order immediately and we sent Remus to enchant the house from the Muggles. I'm sorry we didn't have time to repair the house then but we couldn't leave it in the state it was in. You will need to disenchant it and repair the damage before the Muggles notice. Do you think you can handle it?" Harry gulped imagining what he would find, his Aunt and Uncle's reactions and feverishly wished he was not the one to have to tell them.

"But what about Hogwarts?"

"Most of the clean up is done. There's not a whole lot more you can do anyway. Our visitors will be arriving very soon to take over." She noticed the reluctant look that spread over Harry's face. "You've done what you can do for Hogwarts, Mr. Potter."

When it was time to dress for Fred's service Harry found that Kreacher had brought Sirius's old dress robes from Grimmauld Place. They were lying neatly on his bed. The elf was there ready to assist but Harry's thoughts were elsewhere. The last time he put on dress robes they were attending a dance, now he was attending a funeral, Fred's funeral. This time dressing seemed to be a chore he hated doing. Ron was taking his time too, anything to delay what was ahead. There wasn't much conversation only comments of how much they hated dressing in dress robes. Finally they left the dorm and entered the Gryffindor common room. Ginny, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were there. George was there with Bill, Fleur, Percy and Charlie. There was also a quiet respectful crowd of Gryffindors with them paying their respects.

Mr. Weasley signaled it was time to go and they all stood to follow him through the portrait hole. It was a long and dismal walk to the Room of Requirement. There was no hurry to get there. Mrs. Weasley walked with Mr. Weasley. She was doing her best to keep composed but Harry could see how difficult it was. George was silent keeping only to himself. Charlie, Percy and Ron walked a few paces behind already knowing George did not want anyone's company. Harry and Ginny were last, each lost in their own thoughts. Inside the room had changed. It was smaller, more somber. It was lit by the many candles on the walls and on the candelabras. Flowers and wreaths filled the room. Fred was laid out on a table in the center of the room. He was dressed in his Hogwarts robes. He looked peaceful, merely sleeping. The silence in the room was deafening. Harry could feel Ginny slip her trembling hand in his as they slowly moved closer to where Fred lay. The lump that formed in Harry's throat now seemed to want to choke him. They formed a circle around Fred and for a moment they were all quiet. Then from out of a corner that Harry didn't see was an old wizard who stepped in to join them. "Everyone, please join hands." He said. Harry's other hand joined Ron's. "We are here to say good bye to Fred." Harry could hear Mrs. Weasley begin to cry softly. The others unable to hold it back joined her. As he tried to pay attention to what was being said about how brave Fred was he thought about this family who had taken him in without question, without asking for anything in return. His heart was overflowing with sorrow, remorse and love for them. So much that he didn't know which emotion was the strongest. When Harry looked around the room at the faces of this family he had known for years, he realized what family was and how it felt to be apart of one. He knew then with sudden clarity that it will be this way forever.

Ron released his hand from Harry's as the ceremony ended. Mrs. Weasley was weeping openly now with Bill and Mr. Weasley by her side, blinded by their own tears. And as sad as it was to watch a mother and a father mourn the passing of their child, it was nothing compared to watching George cry for the loss of his twin, the other half of himself. The tears weren't as bad as the anguishing cries that shook his whole body. For several minutes George stood there weeping, releasing all of his sorrow with great heart wrenching sobs. He accepted no one's offer to comfort him as he stood alone beside Fred. Watching him, Harry knew he was not only mourning Fred but George as well. It was George that would miss him most and in ways Harry knew he would never understand. Mrs. Weasley walked over to George, placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and he turned to her with tear filled eyes and she held him as he wept again. Suddenly the whole family surrounded him and Mrs. Weasley. After a minute George released his mother and then hugged his father, then everyone else. Finally he came to Harry and for a frightful moment George stopped and looked him squarely in the eye. Harry no idea what he would say. Would there be anger and resentment? Guilt swelled up in him as he readied himself to take anything that George might say. There was only silence. George reached out to Harry and hugged him saying the only words he had uttered in days. "I'm glad you're here, Harry." Harry returned the hug, feeling his own tears well and fall from his eyes. "So am I." was the only thing that Harry could choke out. George pulled out of the hug first and looked at Harry again. But before Harry could say anything George smiled weakly at him and returned to his mother's side. Harry turned to Ginny and held her close. She was crying too. Mr. Weasley walked up to them and said they would be leaving for the Great Hall. It took a few moments to compose themselves before they could open the door to leave. Outside almost all of Hogwarts was there waiting, all wanting to pay their respects. They were silent as they allowed the Weasley's room to pass. Before they turned out of sight Harry glanced back and saw the Teachers present organizing students waiting to go in.

Again Mr. Weasley led them all to the Great Hall. Inside there was pumpkin juice and refreshments waiting for them. Ron and Ginny stood with Harry. "Blimey, Harry, I don't ever want to do that again!" Ron said wiping his eyes with his sleeve. "That was horrible!" Harry heartily agreed with his friend but knew there were more memorials to attend in the future.

What started out as a small gathering turned out to be the whole of Hogwarts expressing their grief and paying their respects. Only George returned to Gryffindor Tower. As he left Harry saw Angelina leave with him, But George stopped said something to her and walked away alone leaving Angelina hurt and confused. She turned back to the Great Hall and noticed Harry had seen the whole thing. He could see the hurt in her eyes and she approached but he was unsure what to do about it.

"You saw that, huh?" Harry knew it wasn't really a question but he nodded just the same. "I know it's probably too soon." She said

"What did he say?" Ginny asked

"He didn't want company, he'd rather be alone and hoped I understood." She said. "And I want to," She was crying now. "But I hurt too! And I can't help wanting to talk to him. "

Harry was getting a little nervous. Should he say something comforting, offer a hug? "Give him a little time." he ended up saying not knowing what else to say. Angelina thanked him and walked away.

"George is really taking this hard." Ginny said. "Mum and Dad told me he was not going to re-open the joke shop."

"What! You can't be serious." Harry said really surprised.

"He told Mum and Dad he couldn't do it without Fred."

"Ok, but I think it's way too soon to think about what to do with the joke shop." Harry said

"That's what they said too but George said he's already made the decision." Ginny said sadly.

Bill and Fleur bid them goodnight and headed off to sleep. It was getting late and Harry knew sooner or later he would have to leave for Privet Drive. Reluctantly he had walked over to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley who were in conversation with Professor McGonagall.

"Harry." Mr. Weasley said placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "We were just talking about you. Going to see your Aunt and Uncle tonight I hear. Wish them well for us."

"I will."

"We'll be leaving in the morning to take Fred home for burial." Mrs. Weasley said. Harry was hoping he would be back in time for this too and was disappointed that he would have to miss it.

"I'm sorry I can't be there." He said.

"It's ok, Harry dear, "Mrs. Weasley said. "Sweet boy." Mrs. Weasley hugged Harry hard.

"Leaving soon, Mr. Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked. "It's plenty dark now, you shouldn't have any trouble. Be careful anyway. There are Death Eaters on the loose."

"Uh, right Professor, "Harry said, "I just wanted to say goodbye first."

"Goodbye, Harry and Good Luck!" Mr. Weasley said like he knew what a difficult task it was going to be. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley both hugged him. "I'm glad you were with us tonight, Harry."

Harry, always touched by their sincerity, nodded his head. "It was nothing. I'm glad I could be there."

Harry took his leave from them, Ron and Ginny. He said Goodbye to Neville and Luna, Hagrid and Professor Flickwick. He was going upstairs when he remembered he had nothing to pack. Everything he had was abandoned or lost. Behind him he heard shuffling feet and saw Kreacher struggling with an over night bag. "Master Harry will be wanting fresh clothes while he is away." Kreacher croaked out giving Harry the bag. "Thank you, Kreacher. Your right. I don't reckon I'll be gone for too long, but I'm not sure what I'll find when I get there. Will you stay here?" Kreacher stared at Harry for a long moment. He wondered when he would get used to owning a house elf. He was always at a loss of how to treat one. Being nice made Dobby cry and carry on, but made Kreacher stare blankly. But Harry decided he couldn't bring himself to treat them as he had seen others treat them. He agreed with Hermione, they needed better treatment. No, he decided he was going to treat them the same way as he had always treated them. Kreacher would just have to get used to that.

"Master Harry will let Kreacher chose where he wants to stay?" Kreacher asked awestruck. The elf's eyes already too big for him went even wider in disbelief. "Kreacher would like to return to Master's house." He said.

"Oh. You don't want to stay here?" Harry asked realizing his error.

"Only if you wish it, Master Harry."

"No, no, it's alright. As soon as your chores are done you may return to Grimmauld Place. Let them know when you intend to leave." Harry swung the bag over his shoulder. "Goodbye, Kreacher."

"Goodbye, Master Harry. Kreacher will wait for you to return home." And with that Kreacher popped out of sight. Home. Home was no longer Privit Drive. Home had always been Hogwarts but his time there was limited too. With only one more year of school left Harry knew another home awaited him. Grimmauld Place. Strange to think of such a place as home but it was the only place to go back to. He took his inhertitance reluctantly, knowing it was all that was left of Sirius. It didn't occur to Kreacher that Harry wouldn't want to return to Grimmauld Place. Harry was his master now and Kreacher was charged to care for his master's things. Home was Grimmauld Place.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry Potter and the Death Eater Trials

Chapter 4

The Strange and the Unexpected

Harry apparated on Privit Drive a short way down the street. The night was quiet and cool for late spring. There was a change in the air. It was less foggy and far less gloomy. Where ever the Dementors were, they weren't here. He pulled off the invisibility cloak and stuffed it in the bag Kreacher packed for him then made his way up the street. He thought about the family he grew up with. He imagined Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon the same as they always been. But he was more interested in his cousin, Dudley. What was it exactly that had made Dudley want to take the Ministry's offer to protect them? Harry was sure that it was him that convinced Vernon and Petunia to go. Clearly, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia were not 100% convinced of the dire warnings from Kingsley Shacklebolt or Mr. Weasley. But Dudley was the last person Harry would have thought to step up and make the decision to go. What was it that convinced him? Harry realized he may never find out, but decided that if the subject was ever brought up he would ask. Harry was relieved that they had made the wise decision to leave because he was sure the Ministry or the Order would have been prepared to force them into hiding.

When he reached Mrs. Figg's house, he realized how nervous he was to be back. Taking a breath before knocking, he raised his hand. But before he could knock, the door was thrust open by Mrs. Figg standing there looking exasperated. She was as he remembered her, small and disheveled. Her cat, Mr. Tibbles, made a break for the door and was out and gone before she could stop him. She briefly watched him and Harry could sense that she didn't blame the cat at all and wished she go with him. She turned her exasperation on Harry. "What took you so long, Harry? She said opening the door wide for hir them to step through. Not waiting for him to respond, "Come in. Come in" she said. Harry muttered an apology. "They're in the sitting room, waiting. Bloody well been waiting a day and a half." She led Harry through the small kitchen and into the sitting room. Before he saw them, he heard them and caught Uncle Vernon saying "Ruddy well time!" A smile spread over Harry's face as he saw there was no need to worry.

Uncle Vernon saw this "Just tell me what's so funny, boy." But as he said it, he paused as though seeing him for the first time. This was not missed by Harry who seen him momentarily stunned by his presence. Just what had caused this Harry did not know. But Vernon recovered to what ever come over him. "Well, what's so funny? We've been sitting here for two days waiting for someone from your lot to take us home", he continued not waiting for him to answer.

"Sorry." He apologized again but Vernon was not listening. He continued muttering to himself and passing out bags for Petunia and Dudley to carry home. "Finally going home. No more blasted running from place to place."

Harry turned quickly to look at Dudley but only saw him shake his head.

"Well, what are you waiting for, boy? Let's go!" Harry picked up the remaining bag and followed his Aunt, Uncle and cousin out of the house. As he walked out the door he thanked Mrs. Figg but she looked as happy to see them leave as Uncle Vernon.

As they walked back to the house under the cover of darkness, Vernon muttered almost all the way there. They were almost there when Petunia stopped suddenly. Her eyes went wide and her mouth fell open. "Something's wrong, Vernon." She said. "Something's wrong."

"What are you talking about, Petunia." Vernon said as he turned around to face her. "Nothing's wrong. We're almost there."

But Petunia wasn't listening as she continued to look at the house as if seeing something the others couldn't. Harry looked at the house too, sensing the magic around it. But what did Aunt Petunia sense? Harry could see there was definately something bothering her. Could she sense the magic too? Or was she more perceptive then Harry gave her credit for. Whatever it was, they walked on a bit more cautiously. Harry walked ahead of them, wand at hand. It was hard to see though the darkness, but he could tell that something was wrong. As they walked closer to the house, it appeared intact; the house, dark and quiet. But when they reached the door to open it, the magic faded away. Inside the house, they were met with a shambled wreck. They silently peered around taking in the damage they could see in the dark. Aunt Petunia gasped but Vernon was first to find his voice. "Potter!" Vernon roared. "What the bloody hell happened to my house?" The living room was torn apart, lamps and tables broken and turned over, all the windows were blown out. Aunt Petunia's knick knacks were thrown all over the floor, the television was on the floor where it had fallen, all broken. The living room furniture broken in pieces everywhere in the room. The walls were covered in epithets warning Harry not to return. He could only guess what more he would find in the other rooms.

"You and your lot will put this house to rights!"

"I can do that, Uncle Vernon, just calm down." Harry said

"Don't tell me to calm down, boy!" Vernon said stepping closer to Harry shaking his fist dangerously. Harry instantly raised his wand. He pointed it at Vernon who stopped in his tracks. Vernon knew all too well that Harry was of age and could do anything he wanted now with that wand. Harry could tell Vernon was thinking this as he stopped and lowered his fist. But it was his temper Vernon had trouble controlling, "My house is ruined!"

"I can fix this, Uncle Vernon, just calm down." Harry then turned his wand on the fallen lamp. "Reparo." Before their eyes the lamp repaired itself and Harry turned it on and then wished he hadn't. The mess was worse in the light, reigniting Aunt Petunia's and Uncle Vernon's outrage. While they ventured through the house Harry continued fixing up the living room. Every once in a while he heard Uncle Vernon yelling out a curse word or two. It wasn't long before the living room was back in order. Harry decided to repair whatever damage there was in the bedrooms first, so that he can work while they slept. The damage to the bedrooms was minimal. And in no time Vernon and Petunia closed their door with warnings that there had better be noticeable improvements. He moved on to Dudley's room, but Dudley was not there. Curiously he went back down stairs and saw the kitchen light on.

There was Dudley seated at the table, he had made himself a drink. "Would you like one, Harry?" He asked.

"Sure." Harry said, not sure about what he was drinking but wanting to turn down his hospitality. Dudley got up and went to the cupboard nearest to the refrigerator. From the top shelf, he reached in and pulled down a bottle of mead from Vernon's stash. He turned and grinned as he handed Harry the bottle. "I used to knick a few and blame you when Dad noticed." Dudley laughed amusingly and Harry couldn't help but laugh too assuming Vernon had added alcoholism as another one of Harry's many delinquencies. Dudley offered his bottle to cheers and Harry obliged.

"So what happened to you?" They both said at the same time as Dudley sat down opposite of Harry.

"You first." Harry said.

Dudley settled into his chair and took another drink from his bottle. "That day when we left with that Dingle bloke, we drove to Glastonbury. They left us in the home of Agnes McNaughton. It wasn't too bad. Mum and Dad didn't think so. We were there only for a little while then in the middle of the night someone from your lot woke us up and told us your Ministry had fallen. After that we were never in one place for too long. We heard things that were happening, people being murdered or disappearing. Nobody really knew where you were or if you were even alive. Then just the other night some awful old woman named Longbottom burst through the door and told us they were fighting at your school. We didn't hear anything after that, until your letter came. What happened, Harry? What were you doing all year?"

Harry took a deep breath putting his thoughts together not really knowing how to answer Dudley's question in a way that will any sense to him. "I was looking for magical objects that had a connection to Voldemort making him impossible to kill. It wasn't easy, I had some clues, I knew some of the objects but I had to figure out the others and then figure out how to destroy them. When I had all the objects destroyed, all that was left was Voldemort ."

"Did you kill him?" Dudley said hanging on to every word.

"Yes." It sounded so wonderfully easy. Break a few objects, wave your wand and there you are. How was Dudley to understand? How was he to understand just how perilously close they all came to complete downfall. Harry knew that Dudley, his Aunt and Uncle and every other muggle in the world would suffer the most at Voldemort's hand. It angered Harry that they would never know what was sacrificed for them. That they would never know how many good people died for them.

"Bloody hell. What was it like?" This was something that hadn't occurred to Harry until now.

"I didn't have time to think about anything except what I had to do." Harry said. "People I knew were being killed, tortured or blackmailed to do his biding." He was getting angry now but he couldn't help it. He saw Dobby dying in his arms. He saw Xenophilius Lovegood blackmailed by Death Eaters. He heard Hermionie's torturous screams. He saw Fred, Collin, Remus and Tonks. He saw the nightmarish stares of the students fighting at Hogwarts realizing the dire situation they were really in. "It wasn't just my world being threatened, your world would have been next. Can you guess what would have happened if we failed?"

"That's what's different about you." Dudley said.

This shocked Harry. "What do you mean, different?"

"I saw it the moment I saw you at Mrs. Figg's house. You look harder, edgy-er. "

Yes, he knew he was no longer that meek little boy he was long ago. Harry was a different person now fully capable of taking care of himself. What was surprising is that Dudley knew this too.

"You were such a pathetic blighter, Harry. I could do anything to you and you did nothing to defend yourself." Various images flashed through Harry's mind depicting the torturous things done to him by Dudley. "That's what irritated me so much about you."

"I have ways of defending myself now." Dudley immediately glanced nervously at Harry's wand resting on the table. He couldn't blame Dudley for feeling that way about anything magical. His experience with anything from Harry's world weren't exactly positive. Dudley had seen things a wand could do. He could only imagine what kinds of things could be done in the hands of someone wanting to do more than play tricks.

"So, now what are your plans?" Dudley asked. Harry could sense he didn't want to dwell on the subject.

Harry shrugged his shoulders and took another drink from the bottle. "I still have one more year of school. After that I want to train to be an Auror, a dark wizard catcher."

Just then there was a small crash in the living room. They got up to see what happened. It was a lamp that had fallen and lying among the pieces was a letter with the Ministry seal. Harry picked up the letter and opened it.

"Harry" he read aloud. "A team of Ministry officials will be arriving tomorrow at noon to brief the Dursley's on the agreements made last year. Please inform them of our arrival. Also, I request to meet you at your earliest convenience. Kindest regards, Kingsley Shacklebolt. Minister of Magic. "What agreements?" Harry asked.

"They made some arrangements for dad to go back to work and me to go to school." It was a night for surprises, thought Harry.

With just a flick of the wrist, the lamp was repaired again. With that they went back to the kitchen. "I had no idea the Ministry was going to do this for you. Lucky for you, we won the war."

"Yeah, we weren't sure a few times last year. I'm just glad it over." Dudley hesitated. "It is over, isn't it?"

"Well," Harry said as he and Dudley sat back into their chairs in the kitchen. "Voldemort's dead, that's for sure. His followers are being captured as we speak. There'll be a trial, of course. But it doesn't mean there will never be another dark wizard out there looking for trouble." Harry finished his mead and as he sat the bottle down he thought about this peculiar scene he was apart of. If anyone would have told him he would be sharing a drink and pleasant company with his cousin he would have thought them crazy. Yet here they were; sitting in his Aunt's kitchen conversing over a bottle of mead. _This is mad,_ Harry thought.

"I reckon it was a good idea to leave town." Dudley said.

"We weren't sure what was going to happen. If you would have been there when the Death Eaters came..." They both looked at each other finishing the thought. Dudley didn't need to be told how bad it would have been. "What convinced you to go? Uncle Vernon couldn't make up his mind."

"You. You saved me from those Dementor things. Harry, I thought I was going to die. They made me see things. You could have left me, but you saved me." Dudley's voice was low and Harry had to listen hard to hear him. "I know we've never got on very well, but when you warned us of what that Voldemort bloke might do, Harry I knew you were serious. Turns out you were right about everything." Harry realized just then he was holding his breath and needed to breathe. This was it, Dudley's explaination and he was hanging on to his every word. "I don't know what's going to happen between us. I can't say that we will be friends now. But I can appreciate what you've done."

There it was. Blimey, Harry thought. He didn't come right out and say it, but Harry knew it was there. They were silent for a moment and the air between them turned awkward.

"I better get some sleep." Dudley said reaching for the empty bottles.

"Me, too." Harry said and they both got up, pushed in their chairs. Dudley threw the bottles in the trash and followed Harry upstairs.

What a strange night, thought Harry as he entered his bedroom after wishing his cousin good night. The room was exactly the way he left it. His bag sat on the bed and he opened it, curious of what Kreacher had packed for him. There inside were his pajamas. Harry pulled them out and set them on the bed. Still rummaging through the bag, he found fresh changes of clothes, some gold and the Elder Wand. He had forgotten all about it. He pulled it out and carefully examined the most powerful wand in the world. It didn't look so special. The dark wood not so polished. But the wand felt differrent in his hand, not quite familiar. He knew he was now the master of this wand and it would do his bidding as he wished. But it was also tainted with something else that couldn't be wiped away. Harry knew he could never truly own this wand. He knew the true master of this wand was gone from this world and the only thing he could do was to ensure it never fell into the wrong hands again. But how to do that. He knew he needed help but was unsure who to ask. Harry dressed into his pajamas and crawled into bed. If he ordered Kreacher to keep his secret, Kreacher may help him hide it. Perhaps Kreacher had a secret hiding place or knew some magic to hide it that was unknown to wizards. He made up his mind to go back to Grimmauld place and with that solved he fell asleep.


End file.
